Hon. Ahmed Wadada, a former House of Representatives member, has said he withdrew from the All Progressive Congress (APC) Nasarawa West Senatorial District primary election because of the alleged illegal process adopted to conduct the primaries in the state.
Wadada, who holds the traditional title of Sarkin Yakin Keffi Emirate, made this known at a news conference held in Keffi Local Government area of the state on Wednesday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that until his sudden withdrawal, Wadada was a frontrunner for the APC ticket for Nasarawa West Senatorial Zone.
The primary election is still yet to hold due to controversy over alleged alterations of the original delegates list meant to be used to elect party candidates for various elective posts in 2023.
NAN also reports that even after his withdrawal, the party could still not hold the primary election for the two remaining aspirants: Labaran Magaji and Shehu Tukur on Saturday, May 28th.
Angry youths violently disrupted the electoral process over alleged alterations to the delegates list leading to suspension of the election.
Wadada said he thought it wise to intimate the media and by extension the public, especially his teeming supporters on reasons for his decision to withdraw.
He said his withdrawal was influenced by his belief in due process, fairness and strictly adherence to how party primaries should be conducted.
Wadada said these tenets are in line with the electoral act and guidelines of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“INEC accepted the original list because INEC monitored the exercise that brought about the emergence of the original list. We were to hold primaries based on the basis of that original list.
“The state chapter of the party preparatory to the commencement of the primaries called the chairmen of various local government areas of the state and handed over that monitored, authenticated, legal and legitimate list.
”We woke up the next morning, that was the day the primaries for the Governorship and state assembly were to commence, that another list was sent from the headquarters of the party.
“That list sent by the headquarters was neither monitored by INEC nor were stakeholders or caucus of the state APC consulted.
“That list came up because some people somewhere were scared and intimidated to the level of taking laws into their hands, thereby creating illegality,” he said.
Wadada added that he was encouraged by some people to still participate in the primary electoral process but reject the view because the process was allegedly illegal.
“I said how can I go for illegality. I am not a lawyer but I know what the electoral act says. Any list of delegates used in conducting any primary election and that list was not monitored by INEC, and not authenticated by INEC.
“The electoral law says that exercise will be null and void. How then do I go into what I know will end in futility.
My desperation in life has never taken to any illegality. So I wrote to the party and withdrew my participation in the contest because I cannot be part of any illegality.
“Despite my withdrawal from the contest, has the election taken place? No! That is because the doctored list we complained about, that informed my withdrawal from the contest was also re-doctored.
” As progressive minded politicians, we shouldn’t be seen involving in illegality,” he said.
The former lawmaker, however, said that though he was still in the party, he would make a decision on his membership of the party within 48 hours.
“Between now and the time, anything can still happen but the damage has already been done. How to undamage the damage, only God knows,” he said.
NAN reports that Magaji and Tukur are the two other aspirants left to contest for the APC Nasarawa West Senatorial Zone ticket at the general election in 2023. (NAN)
